


Western Lonely Hearts

by Burgie



Series: SSO Wild West AU [4]
Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/M, Wild West AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-08
Updated: 2018-04-08
Packaged: 2019-04-20 01:23:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14250039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Eden finally meets a man who just might be the one. Eden belongs to sso-eden-dawnvalley on tumblr, Jack belongs to SSO-Jack-Wolfwatcher, and the wild west AU belongs to clightlee.





	Western Lonely Hearts

**Author's Note:**

> An AU of how Eden and Alonso met because I forgot to read Eden's wild west AU character sheet before writing this, oopsie.

From an outside perspective, Eden Dawnvalley had everything- she had a steady job, friends, a horse, a place to stay, and she was well-liked in New Jorvik. A girl like her wouldn’t want for anything, right?

But man, she was lonely.

Eden sighed as she watched the owner of the saloon walk into the kitchen, leaving her standing alone at the bar to pour out drinks for the patrons. Ydris was in town, peddling his snake oil and other cures that didn’t actually work, so Jack was off to visit his fiancé for a few nights of whatever it was that they got up to, once he got off work. Eden didn’t judge, though she was mildly jealous. Not because Jack had Ydris, god knows that man was nothing much to look at. But she was jealous that Jack had a warm bed and a warm body beside him at night when the nights grew cold or he grew lonely. He did get lonely when Ydris was away, visiting other towns to peddle his wares, but Ydris always came back. Every single one of Eden’s friends had someone, even the shy Louisa had recently begun to court the local nurse, Lisa Peterson.

And it wasn’t that nobody had caught Eden’s eye, because she had seen a good many handsome men wander through the saloon’s doors or through town. A few times, she’d considered having a crack, but Jack had helpfully informed her that these men weren’t interested in what Eden had. She had spent many a lonely night pretending not to hear the noises coming from upstairs from a few of the more… lustful patrons who’d scored a partner in this saloon. At a low point, she’d even considered asking at The Calico for any men who might be looking for company. But she never had, Jack or someone else had always stopped her.

Today, the loneliness gnawed at Eden more than ever as she stood at the bar, scrubbing at a stubborn stain in the wood. It was midday, and the saloon was just beginning to get a little rowdy with the lunchtime rush. Jack was out back, cooking up a storm for the lunch rush, and had left Eden at the bar to watch it. She was a little preoccupied watching couples cooing together, though. For heaven’s sake, it wasn’t Valentine’s Day, was it? She glanced at the calendar and found that no, it wasn’t, people were just unusually affectionate today. Though, it was a fine spring day, so maybe they were intending on going out for a trail ride.

So busy was she in looking at the patrons with jealousy that Eden didn’t see a handsome young man walk in, nor did she see him walk up to the bar and snag a menu to peruse. She only noticed him when he cleared his throat. And then, Eden felt herself come alive in a way that not even a handsome outlaw could achieve. Holy smokes, this man was something, alright.

“Hey, there,” said the man, giving her a grin and a wink. Eden had to struggle to find her words.

“H-hello,” said Eden, blushing as she stammered. Goodness, she was acting like a downright schoolgirl around this man. He was tall, his skin was bronzed from spending too much time in the sun, his eyes were a glorious shade of brown, and his hair looked perfect for running one’s fingers through. Eden’s heart thudded, and she desperately hoped that this man was both interested in women and single.

“I’m taking this here group on a trail ride, would you happen to cater to a large group such as this?” asked Alonso. Eden nodded, her mouth dry. Jack probably wouldn’t be happy for the extra work, but…

“I’m sure we can make some sandwiches,” said Eden. “I’ll just go and ask the chef to whip those up for you.” She inched towards the kitchen doors, then whirled around to Jack, panic replacing the smile on her face. “Jack, I need you to do a gay check right now.”

“Oh, come on, Eden,” said Jack, rolling his eyes. “I’m busy.”

“And I’m in love,” said Eden, her heart thudding in her chest. “Now, go check, I’ll keep an eye on the food. Oh, and my future husband would like a platter of sandwiches for a trail ride.”

“Yeah, yeah,” said Jack with a roll of his eyes, walking out of the kitchen for a moment. When he returned, he looked a little happier. Maybe. It was hard to tell with him. “He’s definitely interested in women, he was flirting with a group of them. They looked damn stupid, fawning over him like that.” Eden’s heart flipped in her chest.

“Yes!” Eden cheered. “I’ll go and tell him about the food and…”

“Y’know, ordinarily, I’d complain about you stealing one of my patrons for a date, but go and have fun,” said Jack, waving her off. “I’ll be out with the order conveniently late, and I’ll also conveniently let you off early so you can join in the trail ride.” Eden gasped and hugged.

“Jack, I could kiss you,” said Eden, looking at him seriously. Jack rolled his eyes.

“Save that for your future husband,” said Jack, and shooed her out of the kitchen for real this time.

“Your order will be ready soon,” said Eden, smiling and internally melting as she caught the young man’s eye. 

“No rush, the day’s not going anywhere,” said the man, leaning on the bar. “The name’s Alonso, head of the Jorvik Rangers.” Eden felt her heart flip-flop, and she tried not to sigh with desire at his name. She was normally a smart girl, but here she was, fawning over this young man.

“I’m Eden,” said Eden, trying so hard not to blurt out the fact that she was single.

“Pretty name for a pretty girl,” said Alonso. Eden was internally screaming by now.

“Thank you,” said Eden, blushing. Well, if he could be bold, she could, too. “But I’m sure you say that to all the girls.” It had been a while since she’d felt comfortable enough to flirt like this. It was nice. Alonso’s eyes twinkled with mirth, he clearly enjoyed this flirting as much as she did.

“Only the ones I like,” said Alonso.

“So there’s no love in your life?” asked Eden. “Uh, no romantic interest, I mean.”

“The only lady in my life at the moment is Mardy, my horse,” said Alonso. Eden grinned. So she was in with a chance.

“And would you be interested in having a lady in your life?” asked Eden, her heart pounding.

“I’d be interested in you being in my life,” said Alonso. Eden fanned her face, suddenly wishing for a fan like a lot of other ladies in town had. “What say you finish work early and join the Rangers on our trail ride? I could always use another lookout. Do you know your way around a horse?”

“I do,” said Eden, smiling. Alonso grinned.

“Perfect,” said Alonso.

Just as Jack had promised, Eden was sent out with the basket of sandwiches and bottles of water, which she attached to Alonso’s old mustang mare Mardy with the ropes and straps that Alonso supplied. Her own horse, Phoenix, a buckskin morgan, was also given some bags to carry. Eden felt her heart soar as she rode alongside Alonso at the head of the group. With the sun on her face and the warmth of Alonso at her side, she felt as light as air. As free as a bird.

As the group rode along, Alonso and Eden spoke. She learned that he’d been a part of this group for a long time, ever since he’d moved to New Jorvik. In turn, Eden told him about how she worked at the saloon, trying to get enough money to move back home. She didn’t tell him about how the money kept disappearing, though, knowing that it would be too deep and personal. She liked Alonso’s company, and didn’t want to darken it with her financial woes.

At last, the group reached the end of the trail ride, a lovely gorge with the not so lovely name of Bramble Gorge. Eden dismounted and helped Alonso to hand out the sandwiches, smiling at the fellow trail riders even as her heart twisted with jealousy every time someone looked at Alonso for too long or blushed as their hands brushed. But then, once it was done, Alonso turned and gave Eden a long look that set her heart aflutter.

It was a little difficult to eat with her heart pounding like this. But, with Alonso at her side and his hand dangerously close to her own, Eden found some comfort in the fact that this man, though he had everyone throwing themselves at him, had clearly chosen her. Or, at the very least, he was showing her more attention than he showed anyone else. And Eden had hope that maybe, by some miracle, she would no longer be the lonely, unpartnered friend.


End file.
